What do you mean it’s illegal to advertise my car without a Roadworthy?
What do you mean there is a $560 fine if I get caught advertising a car without a Roadworthy?
Believe me when I tell you that we hear this every day. To clear up the confusion here are the rules for selling a used vehicle in Queensland.
When is a Safety Certificate NOT needed?
If you are selling your car:
- to a licensed motor dealer
- to a wrecker
- unregistered (but if you’re going to move the car you need an ‘unregistered vehicle permit’)
If, however, you are selling your vehicle privately there are some rules you need to follow. Here’s a step by step to keep it simple:
- Book your car in to get a safety inspection.
- Your vehicle must be safe/ Roadworthy, if it is NOT you must have all repairs taken care of before you can advertise the car for sale.
- If you have a handwritten Safety Certificate, you must display it on your car.
- If you have an electronically issued permit you do not need to display it, but you must be able to produce it for police, buyer, buyer’s agent, or transport inspector.
- if your vehicle has gas fuel systems or other gas systems, you will need to get a gas certificate from an authorised gas installer. This needs to be 3 months or less when you sell the car and transfer the rego to the new owner.
All of these things are YOUR responsibility and you will not be able to transfer registration without them.
This applies whether you list your car online on a car sales page, Facebook, your own social media or put a sign on the car itself.
What if I do not get a Safety Certificate (Roadworthy)?
Legally you can’t list your car for sale in Queensland if you do not have the Safety Certificate. The registration office will not allow the new owner to transfer the registration and you will have the person coming back to you asking for their refund.
Where can I get a Safety Certificate (Roadworthy) inspection?
Approved inspection stations (AIS) are mechanics that are authorised to conduct safety inspections and issue certificates. Call your mechanic and check if they can do it for you, or search for one on the AIS page You need to do this before you list the car so you can have time to fix anything that needs fixing. A mechanic won’t issue the Safety Certificate until the issues are fixed.
How much does it cost?
The fee for a Safety Certificate for a car is currently $84.70, Trailer $42.40 and motorbike $54.40. These fees are set by the Queensland Government and do not vary from one mechanic to another.
It remains current for 2 months or 2,000km (whichever comes first) in the case of a private seller. If you’re a dealer it is 3 months and 1,000km.
If not correctly displayed, you can be fined up to $560. This applies also if you do not have a Safety Certificate.
What is included?
In Queensland a Safety Certificate is needed when:
- a registered light vehicle is offered for sale in Queensland, or
- transferring registration to a new owner, or
- when transferring to Queensland registration from another state or territory, or
- when re-registering an unregistered vehicle.
Vehicles requiring a Safety Certificate are:
- cars
- motorcycles
- trailers (including caravans) with an aggregate trailer mass (ATM) between 750kg and 3,500kg
- any other vehicles up to 4,500kg gross vehicle mass (GVM).
This inspection covers the basic vehicle safety standards for many components including:
- tyres
- brakes
- steering
- suspension
- body rust or damage
- windscreen
- lights.
Source: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/registration/Roadworthy
Other Frequently Asked Questions?
Can I have my Roadworthy done straight away? I’ve just sold my car and they are picking it up this afternoon.
We can try to book you in, but we cannot guarantee it can be done on time. Remember it is your legal obligation to have this on your car before you list the car. If there are repairs needed you will not be able to sell the car to the buyer.
Why didn’t anyone tell me I needed a Roadworthy to sell my car?
As the owner of the vehicle it is your responsibility to do your research before you list the car. It’s like saying ‘why didn’t anyone tell me I needed to put oil in the engine’.
My car didn’t pass the Roadworthy. Ok can you just list everything down and I’ll fix them later.
Yeah, of course, but you can’t list the car for sale until you fix all the issues. Only then can you get the Safety Certificate (Roadworthy) that you need in order to list your car for sale.
My car didn’t pass the Roadworthy. Ok, can you just list down all the issues and the guy who just bought it can fix them himself.
We can list them, but we can’t issue the Safety Certificate until the issues are sold and you can’t list or sell the car until you have the certificate, so the answer is NO. You can choose to sell it unregistered, that way the certificate will not be required. Although I don’t know anyone who would take the burden of a car with mechanical problems AND no rego, do you?
What do you mean I have to fix all the problems before I can have my Roadworthy? I’ve already sold it, If I now pay for repairs I won’t make as much money on the sale.
Sorry mate, the Government sets the rules. You have the option to sell it unregistered. Although I don’t know anyone who would take the burden of a car with mechanical problems AND no rego, do you?
What do you mean it’s illegal to advertise my car without a Roadworthy?
It’s true and if you are caught you can face a fine of
What do you mean there is a five hundred dollar fine if I get caught advertising a car without a Roadworthy?